Are You Pregnant?

You deserve to have all the information to make an informed decision that is best for you.

You may be facing one of the most difficult decisions you ever have to make. This was not a part of the plan. Your world has turned upside down, and you may be even questioning your beliefs about abortion. It’s okay to be scared, we understand, many of us have been there. The good thing is that you do have options. A New Generation is here to help in a non-judgmental atmosphere. We provide pregnancy information resources, such as pregnancy symptoms, abortion information, parenting resources, adoption options and more.

Even the most accurate forms of birth control will not prevent pregnancy 100% of the time.

Condoms, for example, can break due to many causes such as high heat, the type of lubricant used, or even its shelf life. With perfect use, you still have a chance of getting pregnant.

“The Pill” is another common form of birth control. This has a 5% failure rate. Pregnancy can occur if it is not taken correctly. Examples include taking the pills too late in your menstrual cycle; two or more pills missed in a row; not taking them in the correct order; even half a day late taking a lower dose pill; taking them while on antibiotics; being a heavy smoker; or being overweight. These can all increase your chances of getting pregnant.

There are many other types of birth control that you may have used. It is important to understand that even when used correctly, there is still a chance of getting pregnant.

Almost half of all pregnancies are unplanned…it happens. And a large majority of these women most likely took part in activities they wouldn’t have considered if they had known they were pregnant.

However, use of alcohol and drugs during your pregnancy can be very harmful to your baby, and you should stop use immediately when finding out you’re pregnant.

While it is known that drinking in pregnancy is the cause of some major problems from fetal alcohol syndrome to fetal alcohol effects, miscarriage, birth defects and other problems, drinking in very early pregnancy, usually before a pregnancy test would be positive, may not have caused a problem.

If you are concerned about any of your previous activities or behaviors, talk with your doctor and be honest.

A full-term pregnancy lasts approximately 40 weeks, counting from the first day of your last normal period. The weeks are split up into three trimesters. The first trimester includes weeks 1 through 12. The second trimester includes weeks 13 through 28. The third trimester includes weeks 29 through 40. At the moment of conception, your baby’s genes are already determined including sex, hair, eye color and more.

Conception occurs when, during an act of sexual intercourse, a single sperm unites with the egg to form a unique and brand new human life. At the moment of conception the chromosomes and genes from both parents combine to determine all the physical characteristics of the new baby: sex, facial features, body type, hair color, eyes and skin.

Each month inside your ovaries, a group of eggs starts to grow in small, fluid-filled sacs called follicles. Eventually one of the eggs erupts from the follicle (ovulation). It usually happens about two weeks before your next period.

After the egg leaves the follicle, the follicle develops into something called the corpus luteum. The corpus luteum releases a hormone that helps thicken the lining of your uterus, getting it ready to receive the egg.

After the egg is released, it moves into the fallopian tube. It stays there for about 24 hours, waiting for a single sperm to fertilize it. All this happens, on average, about two weeks after your last period.

If no sperm is around to fertilize the egg, it moves through the uterus and disintegrates. Your hormone levels go back to normal. Your body sheds the thick lining of the uterus, and your period starts.

The egg stays in the Fallopian tube for about three to four days, but within 24 hours of being fertilized it starts dividing very fast into many cells. It keeps dividing as it moves slowly through the fallopian tube to the uterus. Its next job is to attach to the lining of uterus. This is called implantation.

Some women notice spotting (or slight bleeding) for one or two days around the time of implantation; the lining of the uterus gets thicker and the cervix is sealed by a plug of mucus. It will stay in place until the baby is ready to be born.

Within the first week, a hormone called human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) can be found in your blood. It’s made by the cells that eventually become the placenta. A blood or urine test at your doctor’s office will usually detect hCG. It may take three or four more weeks for it to show up as a positive result on a home pregnancy test.

After conception, the baby begins to grow rapidly. All the baby requires is time and nourishment and in nine months, he will be born and welcomed into the world by his or her new family!

An unplanned pregnancy can spark many different emotions and leave you feeling lost, scared, angry, overwhelmed, and/or confused. All of these emotions and many others are normal. You didn’t plan on this happening at this time in your life, and right now there doesn’t appear to be any good solution.

Your mind is probably full of so many questions…

How could this happen to me?

What will my friends say?

How am I going to finish school?

How will this affect my job?

Is my social life over?

What will my family say?

Will the drinking/smoking I did affect the baby’s health?

How can I afford to have a baby?

What are my options?

What do I do?

We are here to help you answer some of these questions and make an informed decision that you are confident about. It is your life, you will live with the consequences of any decision you make. Don’t be pressured from someone else. You, yourself, deserve to make an informed decision.

If you think you may be pregnant, you need to confirm the pregnancy. We offer lab quality pregnancy tests that are performed by our medical staff. We provide ultrasounds to determine if you have a viable pregnancy and how far along you are.

At A New Generation you can talk about your options with caring trained individuals who have been helping women make informed pregnancy decisions since 1999. We are non-profit medical clinic and do not benefit financially from the decision you make. Our only agenda is helping you make an informed choice!

The pregnancy tests offered by our centers are all lab-quality, high-sensitivity urine tests with instant results. These tests are accurate as early as 7 to 10 days after conception, usually before a missed period. In normal pregnancy, HCG, the hormone present during pregnancy, doubles in quantity approximately every two days.

At our center, pregnancy tests are generally up to 99% accurate and:

Are done in a private setting

Results will be known during your appointment

A positive urine pregnancy test suggests a pregnancy, but should always be confirmed, for example with an ultrasound. We offer free ultrasounds.

Many women can avoid having to decide what to do with their unintended pregnancy, because about 1 in 5 of all pregnancies will end naturally. Pregnancies that end naturally are not viable, and result in what are called miscarriages. Who wants to go through the pain, cost and risk of an abortion if it’s not necessary?

A good way to check if you’ll miscarry is by ultrasound technology. We recommend you get your ultrasound at a medical facility that will (a) not charge you a fee for the ultrasound, and (b) not put you under any obligation when receiving the ultrasound. We provide this service.